Students evacuated from Catherine House accommodation block in Portsmouth as firefighters rush to battle generator fire

Firefighters from several stations rushed to tackle the smoke pouring from the property in Stanhope Road on Saturday.

A statement from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue (HWIRS) said: ‘Firefighters from Southsea, Cosham, Havant, Fareham, Waterlooville, Gosport, Porchester, and Eastleigh dealt with a generator fire at Catherine House, Portsmouth.

‘One aerial ladder platform, four breathing apparatus, one jet, and one safety jet were used to put out the fire in the 14-floor building.’

Firefighters had the situation under control at 6.41pm.

A University of Portsmouth spokesman said that no-one was injured during the incident.

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He added: ‘We understand that smoke was observed in the plant room of Catherine House on Saturday.

‘This activated the normal procedure to evacuate the building and alert the fire service.

‘The building returned to normal operation afterwards.’